Sister Barden…  from Taiwan …  May 5, 2014 

Dear Family! 

     I'm so excited to talk to you next week. TJ and Julia look so different in photos and I can't wait to see them on Skype! 

     We had an amazing miracle happen this Sunday. We're teaching a family that is very busy on Sundays. However, after teaching them about keeping the Sabbath Day holy, they scheduled time to come to church this Sunday. Just before sacrament meeting started, the father came through the doors with dark jeans, a VOLVO hat and a big smile on his face. We were SO excited to see him but asked about the rest of his family. He told us his wife needed to stay with the kids. We were really hoping they could all attend church together but happily led him inside to sit next to a member. We assumed he would be the only member of his family to come.......As we sang the opening hymn in sacrament, Sister Chao elbowed my arm. "Look!" She said. We both glanced over at the - still open- chapel doors where our investigator's wife and one of their little-girls were staring at everyone with wide eyes. We jumped up -literally!- and helped them find their seats. This is the first time they have been at church together. The fast testimonies were unbelievably powerful and we could tell they were touched by the spirit. MIRACLE! Another incredible experience involves one of our mainland China investigators - the one who is well over six-feet tall! She also came to church this week and even attended the evening fireside. She is soaking everything in! "I felt so good today" she kept telling us. I think she is drawn to the loving atmosphere of the ward, a feeling that we truly are all brothers and sisters. She can't get enough of church :) 

     This week, I thought about a talk given in the recent Priesthood session of Conference by President Eyring about heroes. There was one part of the talk that particularly struck me. He talked about the importance of serving others and always having no need for acknowledgment of the given service. Referencing Matthew 6:1-4, President Eyring reminds us that "thine (our) alms may (should) be in secret" and that we should not "do your(our) alms before men". We should strive to have our service be known to none but God. When I was younger, my grandfather was the type of hero that President Eyring speaks about in this article. My grandfather always talked about the idea of a "Magnificent Obsession", a life-long quest to do good that was never known, never publicized, never recognized. I know that some of the sweetest and most sacred moments on the mission are times where no one is watching, where a service given or received is seen by God and God alone. This talk made me wonder how many unwritten miracles the Savior performed and how special they must be. It also made me recognize that I need to do only quiet service. Every opportunity and desire to do good comes from God and He is the only one we are accountable to for every act of love and kindness. 

     I can't believe I am loving my mission so much. I could never have expected a one-hundredth of the way this mission would feel, would evolve, would leave its impact on me.   Loving the ride. ;) 

Talk to you next week, 

Sister Barden